


A Good Man

by Angelica_writes



Series: Imagines [23]
Category: Band of Brothers (TV 2001)
Genre: Canon Era, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e10 Points, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, WWII, World War Two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27675308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelica_writes/pseuds/Angelica_writes
Summary: Joe needs some reassuring that he's a good person.
Relationships: Joe Liebgott/Reader, Joe Liebgott/You, Joseph Liebgott/Reader, Joseph Liebgott/You
Series: Imagines [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999741
Kudos: 11





	A Good Man

You could tell as soon as Joe came back from the patrol that something was wrong. You looked at Webster and Skinny for answers, but they just shrugged and walked away, leaving a seething Joe in the jeep as your problem. 

“Come on,” you held your hand out to him. He stared at it for a few moments, as if contemplating whether or not you were some kind of mirage, before gripping onto you as if your hand was the only thing helping him to cling onto reality. Which, in that moment, it was. You led him into your billet, keeping a firm grip on Joe until you got to your bedroom. Ordinarily, it was basic, but to you it was luxurious after spending months on end literally living in the ground. 

“Do you want anything?” You asked softly, pushing him gently onto the bed and pulling his boots off. Still not speaking, he just shook his head and turned over, so that his back was to you, hoping you’d leave him alone. You sighed, knowing that he was doing his level best to shut you out; he tried this every time things got too tough and he didn’t know how to express his feelings. Wordlessly, you lay down behind him, reaching your hands around his torso and burying your head in his neck, placing soft kisses just below his ear. 

“If you think you’re shutting me out again, Joseph Liebgott, you’re wrong,” you whispered. “I’m here for you. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.” To your surprise, Joe’s body shook slightly, and you realised that he was sobbing. Ever since the sticky summer’s night when you first met, you’d only seen Joe cry once, and since Landsberg he’d never quite been the same. It was like a piece of him was missing. War chipped away at all soldiers, but it took more from some than from others, and that made the difference between a happy life back home in the States and a miserable one. You wanted Joe to be happy again, but you had no idea how to help him while he continued to shut his feelings away. 

“I-” fresh sobs cut Joe off, and you squeezed your arms tighter around him. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” you reached up to wipe some of his tears. You turned Joe over to face you with ease, he was so mentally exhausted that he couldn’t summon the limited physical energy needed to resist you. He clung onto you now, pulling you into him so that you could barely breathe. The two of you lay there like that for a while, Joe sobbing into your neck, your hands in his hair and on his back, trying to calm him down. Eventually, his tears subsided, and you managed to disentangle yourself to get him some water. 

“Drink up,” you handed him the glass, and he did as he was told. “Talk to me,” you crouched next to him, your hands resting on his knees as he looked down at you. 

“I’m just-” at this point he hiccuped before continuing, fresh tears forming in his puffy eyes. “I feel so broken,” his voice cracked and at that very moment your heart broke. 

“You’re not broken,” you reached up to wipe away the fresh flow of tears. “What makes you say that?” 

“Because I was so angry that it wasn’t me.” You furrowed your brow at Joe’s words, confused as to their meaning. 

“Joe, what do you mean?” You sat next to him and pulled him back into your arms. 

“When we found that fucking Nazi today, I was happy to see him get killed. That fucker deserved it for what he did to my people. But I was also angry. I wanted to execute him myself, and I felt robbed of that chance when Skinny pulled the trigger. I just-,” Joe paused for a moment. “Is that what this war has turned me into? Someone who is disappointed when he doesn’t get the chance to kill? Killing Nazis ain’t wrong, we’re doing the working a fucking favour, but what if I can’t stop there? What then?” Contemplating Joe’s words and wondering how to respond, you rocked him a little in your arms, trying to calm him down again. 

“Joe, you said it yourself that he deserved it. Your will for revenge doesn’t make you a bad person. In my eyes, it makes you a good person because you want justice for those who suffered. War, it messes us all up a little. I’m sure you’ll feel differently when we finally get home. I know you better than anyone, and I know you to be a good man. You know right from wrong, and you’ll know when to stop.” 

“But what if I don’t? War turns some of us into temporary monsters, but what if I’m gonna be like this forever?” Joe looked at you pleadingly now, and you searched for the magic words to make him feel better. 

“Trust me, you won’t. It’s not a bad thing to enjoy killing the enemy Joe. Enjoying killing Nazis doesn’t mean you enjoy killing, period. It’s hardly like you’re gonna go back to the States and become the next Jack the Ripper, huh?” You were gratified to earn a small smile, one that eventually grew into the grin that made you fall in love with him all over again every time you saw it. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Joe joked. 

“Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone. Don’t hide your pain from me again, Joe. You don’t have to go through anything alone, not while I’m here. And I’m always going to be here.” 

“I love you,” he mumbled as he leant into you again. 

“Anyway, you won’t have time to think about the war and killing when we’re in San Francisco and you’re showing me the sights.” 

“And looking after all the little Liebgotts,” he replied, and you could feel him smirking into your neck. 


End file.
